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COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



Holiness in Christ 

By 

Rev. CLARENCE MEASE 




THE STRATFORD COMPANY 

Publishers 
Boston, Massachusetts 



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Copyright, 1921 

The STRATFORD CO., Publishers 

Boston, Mass. 



OCT • ? iS2i 



The Alpine Press, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. 



©CLA624895 



**VV 



'Preface 

IN Rom. 1:4, Jesus Christ is declared to be the 
Son of God according to the Spirit of Holiness. 
The Christian who is baptized into Christ has 
put on Christ, Gal. 3:27, and Christ dwells within 
him, Eph. 3 :17. These verses state in the briefest 
way the object and purpose of this book- — Christ 
made according to the Spirit of holiness, the saved 
man has put on Christ, has Christ within, and is 
therefore holy. 

The book seeks to state such truths of God's Word, 
frequently not known and understood, which show 
the need of being conscious of living a holy life and 
to set forth the true holy state of the saved soul in 
Christ. 

It seeks further to declare clearly the glorious, 
effectual work of Christ in the salvation of souls, and 
to show the rightful heritage to the Holy Estate of 
every true believer in Christ, having been saved by a 
living faith in Christ. 

It is hoped that every reader of the book will allow 
the contents of the book to be used by the Holy Ghost 
to let Him lead the individual to the deep truths of 
Holiness in Christ. 

Your servant in Christ, 

Clarence Mease. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER 


PAGE 


I The New Creature 


. 1 


II Holiness in Christ 


. 7 


III Sanctification 


. 11 


IV The Holy Ghost . 


. 16 


V The Sinless State 


. 23 


VI Spiritual Blessings 


. 33 



CHAPTER 1 

THE NEW CREATURE 

PAUL'S statement is, "If any man be in Christ 
he is a new creature/' II. Cor. 5 :17. This is the 
way Paul speaks of the saved person. He is a new 
creature. When any one exercises a living faith in 
Christ, he is a saved man, converted, and born again. 
Eph. 2:8, "By grace are ye saved through faith." 

It is very important however that we understand 
that the faith through which we are saved is a liv- 
ing faith. The Word says that many are deceived, 
that God will send strong delusions, and many dis- 
appointed in the day of judgment, II. Tim. 3 :13, 
Mat. 7 :22, 23, Mat. 25 : 44-46. For this reason we 
are taught by the Word to examine ourselves. What 
is the examination for? To discover whether we 
have the faith; whether we are not only thinking 
we have faith but have not ; whether or not we only 
imagine we have faith but actually do not have 
faith ; whether we have, perhaps, in an indifferent way, 
entertained the idea that we have faith but do not 
actually have a living faith ; whether or not we have 
ever paused in life to discover whether we even 
know what faith is. II. Cor. 13.5, "Examine your- 
selves, whether ye be in the faith." "If we have 
the faith, we are doing the works of Christ." John 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

14.12, "He that believeth in me, the works that I do 
will he do also." He who has this living faith is a 
true Christian whom Paul calls a new creature. 

This new creature is more than an ordinary crea- 
ture in creation and is not to be simply recognized 
as a common ordinary being. He is a wonderful 
being, and in relation to the eternal kingdom of our 
Lord and Master, fitted to be a glory unto his Crea- 
tor. It is most helpful for man's salvation for him 
to have a knowledge of the state and condition of 
this new creature. Let us open God's holy Word 
and hear what God says about this new creature, 
the Christian. 

Already we have found that he is an entirely new 
creature. As such, he is a created being and is 
created in true holiness, being therefore a holy man. 
Eph. 4:24, "Put on the new man, which after God 
is created in righteousness and true holiness." 

He bears much fruit and has his fruit unto holi- 
ness. John 15:8, "Herein is my Father glorified, 
that ye bear much fruit." Rom. 6:22, "But now 
being made free from sin, and become servants to 
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness." There are 
some people perhaps who have overlooked the fact 
that a Christian is holy, and that he has his fruit 
unto true holiness, but let us take notice that Paul 
says that now are ye servants to God and have 
your fruit unto holiness, having been created in true 
holiness. 



THE NEW CREATURE 

The new creature is clean and purified. He is 
clean because lie is washed with a thorough washing, 
the washing of regeneration. Titus 3:5, "He saved 
us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of 
the Holy Ghost." I. Peter 1 :22, 23, "Seeing ye have 
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the 
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that 
ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 
being born again." Since he is cleansed and puri- 
fied, he is therefore sanctified. It is sometimes 
thought by some that the saved person or new crea- 
ture is not sanctified. To sanctify means to cleanse 
as well as to set apart unto things holy. Here we see 
that Peter says, "Ye have purified your souls being 
born again," that is, being saved, and this was done 
by a thorough cleansing by the washing of regenera- 
tion. Therefore the new creature being cleansed, 
and purified, is sanctified. In II. Thessalonians, Paul 
also speaks of the saved soul, or the new creature as 
being sanctified. II. Thes. 2.13, "God hath from the 
beginning chosen you to salvation through sancti- 
fication of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Christ 
is also declared to be our sanctification, and since we 
have put on Christ, we are sanctified in Him. I. Cor. 
1:30, "Who is made unto us sanctification." Gal. 
3:27, "For as many of you as have been baptized 
into Christ have put on Christ." 

Since Cornelius — and most likely Paul also — re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost when they were saved, we be- 

[3] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

lieve that the new creature or Christian has received 
the Holy Ghost. Peter was to preach salvation to 
Cornelius, and Cornelius believed and received the 
Holy Ghost as Peter was preaching, showing that by 
faith the saved man has received the Holy Ghost. 
Acts 11:13, 14, "Peter who shall tell thee words, 
whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And 
as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as 
on us at the beginning.' 7 Acts 15:8, 9, "And God, 
which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giv- 
ing them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 
and put no difference between us and them, purify- 
ing their hearts by faith. " Ananias was sent to 
Paul that Paul might be filled with the Holy Ghost, 
Acts 9 :17. When Ananias came to Paul that he 
might be filled with the Holy Ghost, he said to Paul, 
who was then called Saul, "Wash away thy sins, 
calling on the name of the Lord," Acts 22:16. 
These incidents in the lives of Paul and Cornelius 
show that the new creature, or Christian, has the 
Holy Ghost. 

Then, too, the new creature in Christ does not only 
have the Holy Ghost but may be "filled" with the 
Holy Ghost when he is saved as well as during life, 
for it is declared that Ananias said to Paul that he 
was sent, not only that Paul might have the Holy 
Ghost, but that he might be "filled," and this being 
when, according to the account in Acts 22, 16, his 
sins were washed away at the time Ananias met him. 

w 



THE NEW CREATURE 

Cornelius also did not only receive the Holy Ghost 
when Peter delivered the message of salvation to 
him, but most likely was " filled," because it is stated 
that the Holy Ghost fell upon Cornelius as on the 
disciples at the beginning, that is, as on the day of 
Pentecost when they were "filled." 

John says that the new creature, or Christian, 
does not commit sin, and Paul says he is freed from 
sin. I. John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth 
not commit sin." Rom. 6:2, "But now being made 
free from sin." When John and Paul speak of this 
sinless state they seem to speak of the real man, or 
inner man, Rom. 7 :22, making distinction between 
the body or tabernacle in which man lives, and the 
real man within, for they still speak of the presence 
of sin in the body, Rom. 7.17, 23. 

The body of the new creature or Christian is dead, 
brought into subjection to the real or inner man. 
Rom. 8:10, "If Christ be in you, the body is dead 
because of sin." I. Cor. 9:27, "I keep under my 
body, and bring it into subjection." The deeds of 
the body of this new creature are mortified so that 
the activities of life are not the same as that of the 
unsaved. Rom. 8.13, "If ye through the Spirit do 
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." The 
old man, therefore with the lusts has been crucified. 
Rom. 6:6, "Knowing this, that our old man is cruci- 
fied." Gal. 5:24, "And they that are Christ's have 
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts," 

[5] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

The new creature, or Christian, is an heir with 
Christ to the kingdom of God, and has for his as- 
sociates those who belong to the great kingdom. 
Rom. 8:16, 17, "We are the children of God: and if 
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs 
with Christ. Eph. 2:19, "Now therefore ye are no 
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens 
with the saints and of the household of God." 

The Christian or new creature is not of this world. 
John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world 
would love his own: but because ye are not of the 
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, there- 
fore the world hateth you. ' ' 

The new creature is like Christ, and has the very 
same Spirit as Christ had, having been born again, 
born of the Spirit. John 3:7, "Ye must be born 
again. Rom. 8.9, "Now if any man have not the 
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." 

He is entirely consecrated and set apart to the 
work and service of one Master, and if he truly is 
saved, having the true living faith, he is engaged in 
good works, which are the works of the Lord. Mat. 
6:24, "No man can serve two masters Ye can- 
not serve God and mammon." John 14.12, "Verily, 
Verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the 
works that I do will he do also." II. Tim. 3:17, 
"That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works." 



[6] 



CHAPTER II 

HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

IT IS very important for every Christian to know 
that, if he truly is a Christian, he is a holy per* 
son and a firm believer in sanctification and holiness. 
The gospel of Christ in which he believes teaches 
him to be holy and sanctified, which must be ac- 
cepted by him as final as to whether or not he is 
supposed to be holy. "Be ye holy; for I am holy," 
I. Peter 1 :16. "And the very God of peace sanctify 
you wholly, ' ' I. Thessalonians 5 :23. 

A Christian is Christlike, or, like Christ. In order 
to be Christlike, a man must have a living faith in 
Christ as the true way of life. This is but another 
way of saying that holiness in man exists in every 
soul who exercises a living faith in Christ. Paul 
says, in Romans 1 :4, that Christ was declared to be 
the Son of God according to the spirit of holiness; 
and, in Romans 8 :9, that any man that has not the 
spirit of Christ is none of Christ's. Therefore, every 
man that is saved, and therefore has the spirit of 
Christ, has the spirit of holiness, and is a holy man. 
Paul speaks of his own holy life as a Christian in 
a very similar and unique way. He says he was 
crucified with Christ, but yet lives, and the life he 
lives was the life by faith in Christ, and that this 

[7] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

life was Christ living in him. u Iam crucified with 
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the 
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God," Gala- 
tians 2:20. He says, in Galatians 5:24, that all 
Christians have crucified the flesh, and in Galatians 
3 :27, that all Christians have put on Christ. Thus, 
all true Christians are living the life of holiness, 
having been sanctified and cleansed by the blood of 
Christ and the washing of regeneration, whereby 
they have put on Christ. 

There are some believers in Christ who do not 
believe that every Christian is holy or follows after 
holiness. They believe in what is called the " second 
work of grace, ' ' whereby men seek for sanctification 
and are people of holiness only after they have 
sought what they believe is "true holiness," "entire 
sanctification," "a deeper work of grace," "the 
fullness of the Holy Spirit," or some similar term 
denoting holiness. Some even believe that the saved 
man at the time of his becoming saved has not re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost at all, and only receives the 
Holy Ghost at some time later by a definite second 
work of grace. It must, however, be very clear, 
from what has already been stated above, that every 
true believer, since he exercises a living faith in 
Christ, lives the life of true holiness, and this truth, 
that every Christian who truly is such is living the 
life of holiness, will be still clearer to us as we study 

[8] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

the true holy life from God's Word. We cannot 
think of a true holy life except as we think of both 
the life and teaching of Christ, and especially his 
teaching, and again as it is repeated by the apostles. 
The teachings of Christ and that of the New Testa- 
ment writers are full of such subjects as forgiveness, 
love for neighbors and how to deal with them, the 
duties and right relationship of husbands and wives, 
of men and women, of parents and children, of 
brethren or members of the church and her leaders 
or overseers, of servants and masters. When we 
take knowledge of the fact that these things are 
an expression of a true holy life, we see how the holy 
life, or holiness, is identical with the requirements 
of the soul that is saved in Christ, as taught by him 
and the disciples. 

In the fifth chapter of First Thessalonians, we find 
that verse so often quoted to point out to the world 
the need of sanctification and holiness — verse 23. 
The rest of the chapter naturally would have a bear- 
ing upon a sanctified life and true holiness. Run- 
ning down through the chapter, we find these state- 
ments : "Ye are not in darkness/' "ye are the child- 
ren of light," "be sober," "put on love," "we are 
not appointed unto wrath," "edify one another," 
"know them which labor among you," "esteem 
them very highly," "be at peace," "warn the un- 
ruly," "comfort the feebleminded," "support the 
weak," "be patient," "render not evil for evil," 

[9] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

"follow that which is good," "reioice " "m-^ 1 •«. 
out ceasing," Quench not'the spirit^ "d" ot " 

pr^ng r ; < ab tai from an \ ppe 2z™i 

evil. All this is but what is required in the Chris 
ian or saved life, but it is well to note that these" 
things are stated in the chapter in which we aw « 
horted to sanctification, that we might see the Hen-" 

hot 1 U 6 T Ved *" that ° f thG Sanctifl ^ -d 

sians t fi ,T g t0 the f ° Urth Cha P ter of Ephe- 
sians, we find the same category of Christian v» 

quirements and this is another" one of < th f w 

chapters where true holiness is mentioned by del 

mte statement, Bphesians 4.24. When these things 

ChrST? V 1 ^ tW ° ChapterS ' aS ^ -"ll 
Christ s teachings upon similar Christian charac- 
teristics are recognized as the expression of the ideal 
holy hfe, or true holiness, then sanctiflcation and 
true holiness will be more readily understood 



[10] 



CHAPTER III 

SANCTIFICATION 

SANCTIFICATION has a two-fold meaning; 
namely, a setting apart for religious and holy 
purposes, and a cleansing or purifying. Every soul, 
howsoever sinful, may come to Christ, be cleansed 
and purified in the blood of Christ, and thereby set 
apart from the rest of the world to be used by God 
for His holy purpose. He is then a sanctified person, 
or saved person. 

Christ's unalterable condition for salvation is 
stated by Him at one place in the Word thus : Mat. 
6:24, "No man can serve two masters. " If the sin- 
ner desires to be saved, he must meet this condition 
and become a servant of Christ, and Him only shall 
he serve. Paul reasserts this unalterable essential 
of salvation in Col. 3:17, "Whatsoever ye do in 
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." 
It must be plain to man that if he serves Christ only 
and does nothing as unto self and the world, but 
does all things in the name of the Lord, that he 
would be a man set apart for a holy purpose and 
that his entire life is given and devoted to that holy 
purpose. He is therefore sanctified and entirely set 
apart to the work of Christ. 

The setting apart for his holy work is done by a 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

thorough and complete cleansing through faith in 
Christ. And when a man is cleansed he is a new 
creature in Christ, having been born again, born of 
the Spirit, the Holy Ghost. 

Let us take an inner glance at the great transac- 
tion. A sinner approaches Christ, seeking salvation, 
and thus is to be entirely consecrated or set apart 
to the work of Christ. On drawing near to Christ 
he hears these words: Mat. 16:24, "If any man 
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
up his cross, and follow me." That is the cross upon 
which the man must be crucified, upon which he 
must die. Gal. 5:24, "And they that are Christ's 
have crucified the flesh with the affections and 
lusts. " The sinner being sincere in seeking salva- 
tion, he exercises a living faith in these words of 
Christ, denies self, and takes his cross upon which 
he is crucified. What does crucified mean? Certain 
death. Has self died? Is the old man dead? Yes, 
let Paul speak, Rom. 6:6, "Knowing this, that our 
old man is crucified," Rom. 6:8 "Now if we be dead 
with Christ/' 

But when the old man, or self died, a new creature 
came into existence. Living faith in Christ does not 
only bring about the death of the old selfish former 
man, but makes it possible that he be born again and 
become a new creature, hence the words of Christ; 
John 3:7, "Ye must be born again,' ' and the words 
of Paul; Eph. 4:24, "Put on the new man." 

[12] 



SANCTIFICATION 

And what is this new creature ? He is thoroughly 
washed in the blood of Christ. That there is abso- 
lutely no uncleanness there, is seen in the fact that 
the washing was a washing of regeneration, resulting 
in a perfectly new and clean person in Christ. Titus 
3:5, "According to his mercy he saved us by the 
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy 
Ghost." 

What is this new creature like ? He is like Christ, 
created in true holiness. He is holy, he is sanctified. 
Gal. 3:27, "For as many as have been baptized into 
Christ have put on Christ." Bph. 4.24, "The new 
man, which after God, is created in righteousness 
and true holiness. ' ' Is he sinless, without sin ? Yes, 
Paul and John seem to say so, and while that may 
seem impossible and hard to understand, we must 
believe Paul and John and accept it in the sense that 
they speak of the sinless state, which we have no 
space to explain here. Let them speak : Rom. 6 :22, 
"But now being made free from sin, and become 
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness." 
I. John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not 
commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he 
cannot sin, because he is born of God." 

There are some believers who do not believe that 
the saved man is holy, or that he is free from sin, or 
that he has the Holy Ghost within, or that he is 
sanctified, unless he seeks these and receives them 
by a second blessing or a second definite work of 

[13] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

grace. But what have we found by the Scriptures? 
We have found that in obedience to Christ the sin- 
ner who comes to Christ is set apart to a holy work, 
serving only one Master ; that he is cleansed by the 
blood of the Lamb; that then he is born of God; 
that he is a new creature created in true holiness; 
that he that is born of God does not commit sin and 
is freed from sin. Whatever view one may take of 
entire sanctification, it seems that nowhere in the 
Scriptures is there a clearer description given of 
man when he is entirely cleansed, and entirely and 
completely set apart unto holy and religious things 
as that of the description of man at the time of his 
being saved. 

But although there is sanctification at the time 
when man is saved, there is also a sanctifying work 
of the Holy Ghost going on in man subsequently to 
his salvation, which seems to continue through life, 
Christ said to his disciples, John 15.3, "Now ye are 
clean." If they were clean they were sanctified, 
yet, later on, he prays for their sanctification. John 
17:17, "Sanctify them through thy truth. 7 ' This 
sanctification was most likely that future constant 
sanctification which continues in our lives until the 
journey's end and was of the same nature most 
likely as that of His own, of which He made men- 
tion when He prayed and said, John 17:19, "For 
their sakes I sanctify myself." 

Sanctification at the time of new birth may not 

[14] 



SANCTIFICATION 

be understood perhaps because men fail to make 
a distinction between the real man within, or new 
creature, and the tabernacle or body in which he 
lives. Paul speaks of the real man as the inward 
man, Rom. 7:22. Peter touches upon the inner, or 
real man, and speaks of it in connection with the 
new birth, I. Peter 1:22, u Seeing ye have purified 
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." 
Paul says he brings his body into subjection. Thus 
the new creature in Christ brings the body into sub- 
jection and in the bringing of this body into sub- 
jection with all its multitudinous powers and talents 
and its daily increased powers and capacities, the 
Holy Ghost through the Word seems to work that 
sanctification daily whereby the body with its daily 
increased powers and capacities is most efficiently 
being used to express the gracious love unto others 
which is shed abroad in our hearts, and whereby its 
various powers and talents are set apart unto the 
proper and more expedient use for the holy life of 
the saints. 



[15] 



CHAPTER IV 

THE HOLY GHOST 

JESUS said to Nicodemus the only way for man 
to see the kingdom of God, that is to be saved, 
is to be born again, born of the Spirit, John 3 :5. To 
be born of the Spirit means that the Spirit of God 
dwells within man, Rom. 8 :9, or, as John says, that 
God himself dwells in man, I. John 4:15, 16. 

We believe the "Word of God teaches that this 
Spirit of God, entering and dwelling in man at the 
time of his salvation or new birth, is also the Holy 
Ghost, and therefore the believer at the time of his 
being saved does receive the indwelling of the Holy 
Ghost. There are some believers who do not believe 
this, but think that the believer must seek for the 
Holy Ghost some time later than when he was born 
again, or born of the Spirit, and that the Spirit of 
God and Holy Ghost are not one. We believe the 
Word teaches that they are one in the same sense 
as Jesus and the Father are one, and that therefore 
when the believer has received the Spirit of God at 
the time of his salvation he also received the Holy 
Ghost. 

Since God is a trinity, or three persons in one, 
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 
Ghost, then it must be clear, that, since at the new 

[r6] 



THE HOLY GHOST 

birth we receive the indwelling of God, as John says, 
we must also have received the three persons of the 
trinity, including therefore the Holy Ghost, for they 
are one and inseparable. 

That the Holy Ghost is one with the "Spirit of 
God" or "Spirit of Christ" who comes to dwell 
within at the time of ones salvation, may also be 
clearly understood as we see these different terms 
used in the Word to express the same thing, and, 
that both "The Spirit" and the "Holy Ghost" are 
found to perform the same work and functions. The 
prophet Joel declared that God said, Acts 2:17, "I 
will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." Here 
God says "Spirit." A few days before this out- 
pouring of the "Spirit" was to take place, Jesus 
spoke of it to his disciples and used the word "Holy 
Ghost" for that which God called His "Spirit." 
Acts 1 :3, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
not many days hence." And when this was fulfilled 
on the day of Pentecost, it is said they were filled, 
not by the Spirit, as Joel said, but by the Holy 
Ghost, Acts 2:4. Then when Peter explains what 
really took place on the day of Pentecost when the 
disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, he says 
it was the outpouring of the Spirit of God, Acts 2 :17. 
Thus we see how the term "Spirit of God," which 
we receive at the time of our salvation, and the term 
"Holy Ghost" are used for one and the same thing. 

Luke tells us in chapter 3:22, that when Jesus 

[17] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

was baptized, the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily 
shape like a dove upon him. "When Matthew writes 
about the same thing, he says it was the "Spirit of 
God" which descended like a dove, again showing 
that the Spirit of God we receive at the time of 
being saved is called in some places of the "Word the 
Holy Ghost. 

In Kom. 8 :9, we read, "Now if any man have not 
the Spirit of Christ he is none of His." Peter says 
that the spirit that was in the prophets and testified 
within them was this same "Spirit of Christ." I. 
Peter 1 :11. In II. Peter 1 :21, he says the Spirit in 
the prophets was the Holy Ghost. Here we see that 
the terms "Spirit of Christ" and "Holy Ghost" are 
used for one and the same thing. When Zechariah 
speaks of this Spirit in the prophets, and which the 
New Testament calls the Holy Ghost, he calls it 
the Spirit of the Lord. Zech. 7 :12. 

In the Old Testament, we read that the "Spirit 
of the Lord" spoke by David, II. Sam, 23 :2. In the 
New Testament, it is said that David spoke by the 
Holy Ghost, Mark 12 :36. 

Again we find by the Word that people spoke by 
the Spirit of the Lord, that men are lead by the 
"Spirit," miracles are performed by the "Spirit," 
the "Spirit" witnesses. These same things are also 
done by the Holy Ghost, which fact gives us added 
information as to the identity of the Holy Spirit 
and that of the Spirit of the Lord which we receive 

[18] 



THE HOLY GHOST 

at the time of our salvation. Then, too, in the great 
work of the sanctification of the saints, ''Christ," 
Heb. 2:11, Heb. 13.12, "The Holy Ghost," Eom. 
15:16, "Spirit of God," I. Cor. 6:11, and "The 
Spirit," II. Thes. 2:13 are each alike declared to be 
the sanctifier. 

But although the Word seems to teach that the 
Spirit of God, received at the new birth is one with 
the Holy Ghost, and that therefore every truly saved 
man has the Holy Ghost, some will question, How 
about the disciples who only received the Holy 
Ghost at Pentecost? How about the Samaritan be- 
lievers, Acts 8 :12-17, who were believers, and after- 
ward received the Holy Ghost? Or how about the 
Bphesians, Acts 19 :l-6, who were believers and did 
not have the Holy Ghost? These, some say, were 
saved and yet did not have the Holy Ghost. How 
would we explain? In the case of the disciples, it- 
is rather easily understood. Before the day of 
Pentecost, we believe the disciples were safe and 
secure as were the Old Testament saints who knew 
nothing of the Holy Ghost as one who was given 
for the present work which He now is to perform. 
They could therefore not receive Him thus until 
poured out in fulfillment of the prophesies. All of 
God 's plan for the present salvation and life was not 
yet fulfilled and completed in the days of the 
disciples when they walked with Christ. Christ- 
must first go to the right hand of God the Father, 

[19] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

and He, the Comforter or Holy Ghost, sent, which 
took place on the day of Pentecost, and therefore 
it was only then that the disciples, who were Jews, 
received the Holy Ghost, and the Gentiles were to 
receive Him some time later in another special mani- 
festation of an outpouring in Cornelius's home, Acts 
10:44-48. The plan of God for this present age 
seemed then only to be fully revealed, and since 
that time men may know that faith in Christ and 
his salvation includes the indwelling of the Holy 
Ghost, now fully revealed and manifested to all 
peoples. 

In the case of the Ephesians, Act. 19 :6, we find 
that the believers were believers in John's baptism 
instead of being believers in Christ's doctrine and 
baptism as the gospel is to be taught today. They 
did not even know of the Holy Ghost. They there- 
fore could not believe as the individual believers 
today are taught to exercise a faith in God the 
Father, Son and "Holy Ghost." 

In the case of the Samaritans, the explanation is 
not very easily made, Acts 8:12-17. Christ was 
preached to them. They were only baptized in the 
name of the Lord Jesus. Considering that the Holy 
Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles after this 
event, and that even Peter did not yet seem to know 
full well that the Gentiles should have the Holy 
Ghost, Acts 10 :23, Acts 11 :18, it is most likely that 
the teaching and faith in the case of the Samaritans 

[20] 



THE HOLY GHOST 

was accompanied by some lack of the full knowledge 
of the finished plan of God for this age, as was the 
case with the Ephesians; especially might this be 
true with reference to the Holy Ghost. 

The Bible instance whereby God finished His plan 
for this age should furnish us with an example for 
the receiving of the Holy Ghost, both as to the time 
of receiving Him, and as to the manner. This we 
find in the case of Cornelius and his house, which 
seems to be the conclusion of God 's plan for salvation 
in this age and especially for us as the Gentile world. 

We may be quite sure that Cornelius and his house 
were not saved, for Peter was to carry the message 
of "salvation" to him, bringing words whereby he 
should be saved. Acts 11:14, "Who shall tell thee 
words, whereby thou and thy house shall be saved." 
As Peter was delivering this message of salvation 
in the home of Cornelius to his household, kinsmen, 
and near friends, while he was yet speaking, the 
Holy Ghost fell on all that heard the word. What 
happened? They exercised faith in Christ, as any 
sinner must to be saved. They were saved and re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost without the laying on of 
hands or even without the baptism which usually 
preceded the receiving of the Holy Ghost. This in- 
stance seems to furnish us with the proper way in 
which we receive the Holy Ghost at the time of sal- 
vation by the exercising of a living faith in Christ, 
and it also furnished the disciples with the needed 

[21] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

* 

added knowledge of the Holy Ghost, knowledge 
which they did not have before. Acts 11.18, "Then 
hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance 
nnto life." 



[22] 



I. 



CHAPTER V 

THE SINLESS STATE 

JOHN 3 :6, "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth 
9 not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him." 
I. John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not 
commit sin : for his seed remaineth in him : and he 
cannot sin, because he is born of God." This is the 
clear and very plain way in which John, the beloved, 
sets forth the sinless state of the believer in Christ. 
It is important to take notice of the fact that it is 
the believer in Christ, the person who is saved, that 
stands in this sinless state, and not the one who be- 
lieves he attains unto that sinless state by a second 
definite work of Grace. John says he who is "born 
again' 7 cannot commit sin, and "born again" means 
born of the Spirit, which has reference to what took 
place at the time of being saved. 

This saved or sinless state has come about by the 
individual exercising a living faith in Christ the 
Savior of the world. Acts 16:31, "Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." I. 
John 5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the 
Christ is born of God." John 6 :47, "Verily, Verily, 
I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath ever- 
lasting life." Eph. 2:8, "For by grace are ye 
saved through faith." 

[23] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

When the individual exercises this living faith in 
Christ, Christ and the Holy Spirit have wrought a 
thorough cleansing in that individual, so thorough 
that he is purified, sanctified, and is no more the 
old creature, but is a new creature in Christ, and, 
as John says, "Cannot sin," for he is born of God. 
Rev. 1:5, "Jesus Christ who .... washed us from 
our sins in his own blood/' I. John 1 :7, "The blood 
of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin." 
These two verses tell us that Christ washed away all 
sin. When all sin is washed away, then the individ- 
ual is without sin, sinless. The individual who is 
saved and standing in the sinless state, having been 
washed by the blood of Christ, is called a sanctified 
person. I. Cor. 1:2, "Them that are sanctified in 
Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in 
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our 
Lord. I. Cor. 6:11, "But ye are washed, but ye 
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." He 
is a new creature and holy. II. Cor. 5:17, "If any 
man be in Christ he is a new creature. Eph. 4:24, 
"Put on the new man, which after God is created in 
righteousness and true holiness," Rom. 6:18, 19, 
"Being then made free from sin, ye became the 
servants of righteousness .... even so now yield 
your members servants to righteousness unto true 
holiness." 

So far we have done little more than shown that 

[^4] 



THE SINLESS STATE 

the Scriptures do state that there is such a thing 
as a sinless state of man. It is almost evident that 
many who profess Christ have never left the world 
entirely, and do not serve Him only. Self has not 
been denied as Christ requires, Mat. 16:24. There 
is perhaps no consciousness on the part of the many 
that they serve only Christ, as required for our sal- 
vation and sanctification. Mat. 6:24, "No man can 
serve two masters." Neither do they have a con- 
sciousness that their labors are the labors of the 
Lord, which, however must obtain if men truly are 
saved and truly believe. John 14:12, "Verily, 
Verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the 
works that I do shall he do also." The result is, 
their righteousness is not that of the righteousness 
which is by faith in Christ, Rom. 3 :21, 22, but they 
try to serve the Lord by living a righteous life by 
the law, and are conscious that they constantly vio- 
late the law and commit sin; because they thus sin ? 
men question whether there can be such a thing as 
a state without sin, as John says, or question what 
John really does mean. Then, too, there are many 
truly converted, faithful servants of Christ who do 
not want to sin, yet are very conscious that daily 
they fail to do what they feel God wants them to 
do, and because of this, almost feel they have greatly 
sinned thereby. These, too, are eager to know the 
real truth of the sinless state and what John really 
means. 

[25] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

For a full explanation of the nature of this sin- 
less state we do well if we take all Scripture refer- 
ences on this subject in the light of Paul's letters, 
especially that of Romans, and then principally the 
last part of the seventh chapter beginning with the 
fourteenth verse to the end of the chapter. Here 
Paul makes a distinction between the inward man, 
and the flesh or tabernacle in which man lives. He 
also speaks of the weakness, Rom. 8 :3, and unprofit- 
ableness of the law, Heb. 7 :18. He speaks of the 
abolishing of the law, Eph. 2 :14. The conclusion is 
that we are no more under the law. Rom. 6 :14, " Ye 
are not under the law. ' ' Paul therefore tells of two 
things which are needful for us to know if we desire 
to understand the sinless state. The first is "that we 
are not under the law 7 ' and the second, "that there 
is a distinction between the inward man and the 
tabernacle in which he lives." John defines sin in 
relation with law. I John 3 :4, "Sin is the transgres- 
sion of the law." Now since sin is the transgression 
of the law, then we see that if the law is taken away, 
as we have seen above, and the Christian is not under 
the law but under grace, there can be no transgres- 
sion because there is no law to transgress, and there- 
fore no sin, thus showing that the believer is with- 
out sin and cannot sin because there is no law to 
transgress. He is therefore in the sinless state. This 
is precisely what Paul says: (Rom. 4:15) "For 
where no law is there is no transgression." This 

[26] 



THE SINLESS STATE 

same truth is brought out by Paul when he says in 
Rom. 7 :7, that he had not known sin but by the law. 
Then he says we are delivered from the law, Rom. 
7 :6. If then the only way to know sin is by the law, 
and we are now delivered from the law, then are we 
free from sin because we are delivered from the law 
that made sin known to us. We see therefore again 
how it is possible that the believer is in a sinless 
state, and this sinless state, Paul, in Rom. 6 :18, again 
states just as clearly as John states it: " Being 
then made free from sin." He states this sin- 
less state still more vividly when he says we 
are dead to sin, Rom. 6:2, and dead to the 
law, Rom. 7 :4, the law being the very thing by which 
we could know sin, Rom. 7 :7, 13. When we consider 
this truth that the believer is no more under the 
law, and that sin is the transgression of the law, 
under which the believer is no more, we can better 
understand that the saved man could not sin because 
he is not under a law given by God which he could 
transgress, that is, as long as as he remains in Christ. 
He might forsake Christ and thus put himself under 
the law, and then sin, but then he is no more a true 
believer in Christ, nor born of God. In his saved 
state it is true as John says "He cannot sin." 
It must be remembered that the Christian is 
constantly working the works of God, and it is 
quite evident that while he thus works for Christ, 
walking thus in the Spirit, he certainly does not sin 

[27] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

while he thus labors and toils. One reason why- 
many cannot understand that the believer does not 
sin, is because they do not do all things as unto the 
Lord, which is however required by the Christian. 
Col. 3 :17, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all 
in the name of the Lord Jesus." 

Thus far we have considered the sinless state of 
the saved person with regards to the inner man, or 
real person, which is the new creature in Christ, 
created in true holiness. This man is pure, holy and 
does not commit sin as John declares. 

It is very important however to notice that John 
does not say, "He has no sin." He says, "He does 
not commit sin," that is, he does not desire to dis- 
please Christ. If he is truly saved, his first and 
chief desire is to work the works of the Lord, and in 
so doing does not commit sin.- But John also says 
that we have sin, I. John 1:8, "If we say that we 
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is 
not in us." Here we read, "We have sin." At first 
it may seem that this is a contradiction of the Word, 
for at one place the writer says, "We cannot sin," 
and at another, "We have sin." If we answer in 
the light of Paul's exposition on this phase of the 
subject, we would say that the inner or true being 
does not sin, and is pure and holy, but that the sin 
which John says we have is in the tabernacle or flesh 
in which we live. The inner man cannot commit sin, 
but the flesh is still subject to the law of sin. The 

[28] 



THE SINLESS STATE 

difference between the unsaved or sinful state of 
man, and that of the saved and sinless state, is that 
in the former case the inward or wicked man is in 
league with the flesh in which sin dwells, and gladly 
performs the things the sinful flesh desires, thus 
following the flesh, while, in the saved and sinless 
state, the inward man is in co-operation and harmony 
with God and the Spirit, bringing the sinful flesh 
constantly into subjection to this inward man. 
While he thus labors, day by day, bringing his body 
into subjection to the will of the inward man, he does 
the work of Christ and therefore does not sin, al- 
though he has sin in the flesh, for Paul says the flesh 
is against the Spirit and the Spirit is against the 
flesh, Gal. 5 :17. This opposition of the flesh to the 
inward man and also to God who dwells within, is 
sin; it is rebellion against God, and thus is sin, but 
the inward man does not sin. 

Now let us turn to Paul's teaching on this subject 
of sin in the flesh, and the sinless state of the inner 
man, and see how beautifully he explains. Let us 
remember that Paul was saved, born of God, sancti- 
fied and possessed with the Holy Ghost. Now let us 
read from the fourteenth verse of the seventh 
chapter to the end. He says: "That which I do I 
allow not. What I hate that do I." He says he 
does what he would not. The inner man does not 
want to do what he really does, because of the flesh, 
but he also says he brings his body into subjection. 

[29] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

I. Cor. 9:27, "But I keep under my body and bring 
it into subjection." Thus he, the inner man, morti- 
fies the deeds of the body, and therefore shall live, 
and, while he thus mortifies the deeds of the body, 
he works the works of the Lord and does not sin, 
although he cannot do that which he would. Rom. 
8 :13, "For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die : but 
if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the 
body ye shall live. 

Let us read again : "Now then it is no more I that 
do it but sin that dwelleth in me." Yes, he still 
has sin in the flesh but he, the "I" he mentions, or 
real inward man, does not commit sin and is sinless. 
"For I know that in me, (that is in my flesh) 
dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with 
me; but how to perform that which is good I find 
not." Here is a very important statement, "To 
will is present." That must ever be the state of the 
saved man in all his endeavors, "To will to do God's 
bidding," and then, even if we do fail to perform 
that which we desire, we sin not. Let us read again : 
"Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that 
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Yes, sin was in 
his flesh and caused him to come short of what he 
desired to do, although the will was present. "I 
find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is 
present with me, for I delight in the law of God 
after the inward man." 

This real Paul, the inward man, follows the law 

[30] 



THE SINLESS STATE 

of the Spirit, but the tabernacle of flesh is against 
him. "But I see another law in my members war- 
ring against the law of my mind, and bringing me 
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my 
members." He was not able to do what he would, 
and thus in that sense he was captivated by this law 
of sin in the flesh, but he was not committing sin by 
the inward man, and his deeds that were not what 
he desired them to be were not sin to him for he 
was not under the law ; and sin is not imputed where 
there is no law. Rom. 5:13, "Sin is not imputed 
where there is no law." Then Paul concludes: "So 
then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, 
but with the flesh, the law of sin." 

This same experience that Paul had is ours. We, 
that are born again serve the Lord by the mind and 
follow the Spirit if we truly have found Christ. 
And, if we feel this tremendous opposition in the 
flesh, let us not be alarmed, but be comforted in the 
thought, that, as Paul served the Lord with the 
mind by the inward man, so do we, and we too 
cannot do what we would. Gal. 5 :17, "For the flesh 
lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the 
flesh; and these are contrary one to another; so 
that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 

But this thought of sin in the flesh of the believer 
must not be used as a license to do evil upon the 
ground that we simply cannot do what we would. 
Any voluntary yielding to the weakness of the flesh 

[3i] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

would be but to obey the flesh and turn back from 
God to the world. The very fact that we would 
thus cater to the flesh would be most likely an evi- 
dence that we are not saved, for the saved man 
follows the Spirit, not the flesh, and we are only 
free from condemnation if we follow the Spirit. 
Rom. 8:1, " There is therefore now no condemna- 
tion to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk 
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. John 5 :24, 
"Verily, Verily, I say unto you, he that heareth 
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, 
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into con- 
demnation. 



[32] 




CHAPTER VI 

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

ALL through the Word of God we are told of 
the many blessings God bestowed upon those 
who were faithful and obedient to Him. His pur- 
pose for bestowing these blessings upon His people 
seems to be very clearly stated when he spoke to 
Abraham about them. He said to Abraham that he 
will bless him and he shall be a blessing. Gen. 12 :2. 
Abraham's blessings would enable him to be a bless- 
ing to others. So, likewise, when God blesses us we 
too are blessed that we may be a blessing unto others. 

In the New Testament we are told that God 
blesses the Christian with all Spiritual blessings. 
Eph. 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all 
Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." 

God has blessed us with health, life, bodies, talents, 
powers, material things, homes, parents, countries, 
prosperity, etc. But among all the blessings with 
which God has blessed us we find the more Spiritual 
blessings. He has blessed us with eternal life within, 
with the Spirit of adoption whereby we enjoy the 
sonship of God, has given unto us the Holy Ghost, 
fills us with all the fullness of God, has given us the 
joy of His salvation, endued us with power, made 

[33] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

us His heirs, gave us His divine nature, and made 
us holy. 

Our purpose in this meditation shall not be to 
define these and other Spiritual blessings, but rather 
to consider the outward demonstration or manifesta- 
tion of the receiving of Spiritual blessings, and also 
the activities in life as a result of the presence of 
these blessings. Especially will we so consider the 
blessing of salvation, that is, the blessing received 
at the time when the sinner returns to God and is 
saved being born again and receiving the indwelling 
of the Holy Ghost, and also the future similar bless- 
ings when the soul is greatly moved by the Spirit 
of God and filled with joy. 

In many religious meetings of the Church, some 
of the penitents when becoming saved, and other 
worshippers, fall upon the floor, at times screaming, 
and at times seem to be in a somewhat unconscious 
state. Their limbs are freely moved in many ap- 
parently uncontrollable ways. Often these wor- 
shippers roll and move on the floor from one place 
of the room to the other. Sometimes they leap, 
moving from one place to the other in the room 
while they jump, apparently not knowing whither 
they go or what they do. Others try to hold those 
who thus act, sometimes being thrown to the floor. 
Frequently they shout something to the praise of 
God. Sometimes those who swoon and fall to the 
floor or into the arms of some one are carried to 

[34] 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

some more convenient place in the room, or, if they 
remain long in this state, to some adjoining room or 
to their homes. 

In speaking about a worshipper who thus per- 
forms, the worshippers say, "He had a blessing." 
By that they mean he was blessed by God with a 
Spiritual blessing and was thus moved by the Holy 
Ghost. If it was a penitent seeking salvation they 
say he was blessed by the usual blessing of salva- 
tion, that is, by the way in which the saved receive 
the blessing as an expression of the indwelling of. 
the Holy Ghost. If the worshipper who thus per- 
forms was a Christian, he is known to have had a 
blessing also, which means a special filling of the 
Holy Ghost, or a special mighty moving of the Spirit 
of God. Others say such worshippers had a shout, 
and sometimes that they were in a trance. 

The word, "blessing," here is significant. It is 
the general term for all these forms of the Spiritual 
manifestations of Spiritual blessings. Whether it 
was a shout, a falling to the floor in a semi-conscious 
state or a trance, it is usually termed a blessing, — 
the worshipper had a blessing. 

Meetings in which the worshippers so perform are 
usually called Spiritual meetings, Holy Ghost meet- 
ings, or Pentecostal meetings. It is often noticeable 
that the efforts put forth through an entire service 
seem to be directed towards such demonstrations. 
The prayers uttered are full of petitions for such 

[351 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

Spiritual blessings. The sermons are burdened with 
Scripture and effort to produce such results. If 
these demonstrations are not forth coming, the meet- 
ing is considered rather cold and a partial failure, 
and often the worshippers censured for their indif- 
ference and lack of faith. 

That many souls were saved at such meetings is 
quite evident and believers drawn close to Christ. 
Many will look back to such meetings with fond re- 
collections and holy reverence for the places and 
such meetings where they and others were enabled 
to come from sin and darkness to a saved and happy 
state. 

When we consider well these things, and then also 
that not all worshippers do so worship, we naturally, 
with great eagerness and holy sincerity, ask the 
questions, "Are such blessings a requirement?'' or 
rather, "Are such demonstrations of Spiritual bless- 
ings an evidence of a real Spiritual blessing or is it 
all a misunderstanding of what true Spiritual bless- 
ings are and are not, perhaps, many in much ig- 
norance as to what true Spirituality is?" 

To pass judgment upon the genuineness of a bless- 
ing of worshippers is not for man to do. No man 
can tell what another experiences when he is blessed 
with Spiritual blessings. It is beyond doubt that 
many have become strong by such worshipping and 
attained to the blessed assurance of salvation. And 

[36] 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

yet, when we consider how many of these worship- 
pers backslide, or are found to be out in the world 
in latter years, and again, that many allow many 
things to come into their lives which are inconsistent 
with the Christian life and the Bible teaching, we 
are prone to consider such worship at times with 
grave and sincere questionings. 

That there is sincerity and holy zeal in such wor- 
shippers is beyond doubt. But might it not be that 
in the expression or demonstration of the blessing of 
salvation there is a lack of Bible information? Is 
it not possible that the worshippers who do not go 
to these extremes in demonstrations are more filled 
with the Holy Ghost than such worshippers who are 
very demonstrative in such performances? Might 
it not be possible that in such demonstrations, some 
of the worshippers make the same mistake as in all 
other things — mistaking the external activities for 
the real invisible blessing. 

In all forms of worship, no matter what form is 
adopted, some are worshipping simply by that form 
without the Spirit. There is therefore a possibility 
that many such worshippers who are very demon- 
strative as above stated are simply going through 
the performance as a form and there is no Spirit 
about it. There are others however who, by these 
demonstrations, worship in Spirit and receive a 
Spiritual blessing. 

But that they receive the Spiritual blessing of 

[37] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

salvation and are filled with the Spirit does not 
seem to indicate that such demonstrations are pre- 
ferable to other expressions and that they are an 
indication that such worshippers are more Spirit 
filled than such as do not so perform and who also 
believe themselves to be filled with the Spirit. The 
outward demonstration and performance as an ex- 
pression of the joy within and that the Holy Ghost 
has been received is largely dependent upon the 
teaching and instruction such worshippers received 
as to what actually is the desirable way to demon- 
strate the presence of the Holy Ghost. 

The Gospel does not seem to teach anywhere that 
such demonstrations as above stated are a require- 
ment. We are not taught anywhere in the Gospel 
by direct statement that such demonstrations were 
practiced by any of the apostles or early disciples. 
Nowhere are we taught that such demonstrations are 
a special indication of a special filling of the Holy 
Ghost. There does not seem to be a single instance 
in the Gospel where the individual fell to the ground, 
or floor because of a special filling of the Holy Ghost. 

It would naturally follow that such as do not fall 
to the floor, roll on the floor, become as unconscious, 
etc., are more in harmony with the teaching of the 
Gospel when being filled with the Spirit than such 
as do so perform. 

We should not say anything to discourage a gen- 
uine blessing, although it be demonstrated as above 

[38] 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

stated, but while this is true, it does seem our duty 
in behalf of all believers, especially those who also 
being sincere could not attain unto the more demon- 
strative form of blessing, to teach plainly what the 
Scriptures do say concerning the being filled with 
the Holy Ghost, and how they are manifested. 

With these thoughts in mind, let us now turn to 
the Word and consider these Spiritual blessings in 
the light of the Gospel, both by the teaching of the 
Word and the example of such as are declared to 
have been Spirit filled. 

Christ is our example of how a man will do when 
he is filled with the Holy Ghost. It were well that 
every believer would consider Christ's life very 
often in life when he desires to make a proof of his 
pwn outward Spiritual demonstrations and activities. 

It is declared that Christ was full of the Holy 
Ghost and returned in the power of the Spirit into 
Galilee. Under the power and the influence of the 
fullness of the Holy Ghost he taught in the syna- 
gogues, healed the sick, and everywhere went about 
doing good, Luke 4 :1, 14. We do not read that Christ 
anywhere fell to the ground, was in a rather uncon- 
scious state, or performed in any way as described 
above, yet He is our example as to how we do and 
perform under the influence of the Holy Ghost. 

The disciples will be a special instance for consid- 
eration. They were men in the weakness of the flesh 
as we. They were filled with the Holy Ghost on the 

[39] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4. Much of the above 
mentioned demonstrations seem to be due to the 
teaching given by many about the outpouring of the 
Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Many teach 
that because the people who heard and saw the 
disciples on the day of Pentecost thought they were 
drunk, they must have been on the floor, and per- 
formed in other ways as drunken men. It were well 
however that we should consider what is really 
stated as being the true reason for the people to 
think the disciples were drunk. When we look 
carefully into the matter, we find that there is noth- 
ing stated that such demonstrations as referred to 
above were made. Contrary to such demonstrations, 
we are told that, instead of these disciples falling 
to the floor, rolling from place to place, or even 
shouting, they stood up. Acts 2:11, " Peter stand- 
ing up with the eleven." Usually such as receive 
the blessings in some form as stated above are so 
overtaken that they seem to be like unconscious 
and are very loud in their screamings and shoutings. 
But the disciples, instead of so screaming or being 
in a partial unconscious state, spoke. The Word of 
God does not say they began to fall, to scream, to 
shout, or to get into an irrational state when the 
Holy Ghost came upon them, but it says, "They 
began to speak." Acts 2:4, "And they were filled 
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other 
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." 

[4o] 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

They spoke the wonderful works of God. Acts 
2:11, "We do hear them speak in our tongues the 
wonderful works of God." The importance of this 
statement seems to lie in the fact that when any 
one is filled with the Holy Ghost, immediately he 
would demonstrate it by speaking of Christ and His 
love if, perchance, he were to demonstrate it in any 
way as the disciples demonstrated it on the day of 
Pentecost. 

Why did the people think the disciples were 
drunk? What statement do we find in connection 
with the Pentecostal blessing indicating that the 
disciples might have performed like drunken people ? 
The people heard them speak in different languages. 
This is the only statement from which we are able to 
gain any knowledge of the reason why the people 
thought the disciples were drunk. When these 
people heard the disciples speak in other languages 
which some of them did not understand, they most 
naturally would come to the conclusion that such 
mumbling, as it seemed to them, was an indication 
that the disciples were drunk. But we have nothing 
stated that they were lying on the floor or otherwise 
acted as drunk. 

That in verse 14 we are told that Peter and the 
eleven stood up does not necessarily mean that they 
were lying on the floor, for in verse 2 it says they 
were sitting, and immediately upon being filled, it 
seems they began to speak, verse 4. In Acts 4:31, 

[4i] 



HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

we read again that the disciples were filled with the 
Holy Ghost, and again they spake the Word of God, 
but we do not read of any other great demonstrations 
such as referred to above. 

In Acts 10:45-48, we read of the time when 
Cornelius and those who heard the Word received 
the Holy Ghost, but nothing is mentioned again of 
great demonstrations. 

When Paul, who was called Saul, was filled with 
the Holy Ghost we look in vain for any such great 
outward demonstrations, but again it is said that he 
straightway preached Christ, Acts 9 :17, 20. 

There are two instances of trances in the New 
Testament, that of Peter's and Paul's, Acts 10:10, 
and Acts 22:17. In these trances both received a 
message to go forth and perform a special task. 
Again let us remember that it is not our lot to dis- 
courage trances, but it is profitable to remember in 
these rare cases that each individual received a 
definite work to be done. How seldom do we find 
those who seem to have trances receive such definite 
messages and work to be done and find that similar 
details of the visions of the trances are carried out 
and fulfilled as in these cases. We do not read that 
these instances are given as an evidence that these 
men had the Holy Ghost, or that they fell into trances 
because of a fullness of the Holy Ghost. 

We believe it is pleasing to God and is good to 

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\ 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

praise God loudly and to shout his praises. How- 
ever from what we have gathered from the Word, 
it were well for us to make a clear distinction be- 
tween the meaning of shouting the praises of God 
and that of the so-called shouts at times with which 
falling upon the floor, rolling around, screaming, 
etc., is connected. Although we believe that all 
such demonstrations and expressions of the joy of 
salvation have their good effects, especially when 
individuals do not know what the Word says con- 
cerning them, yet we must not overlook the fact 
that the Word does not seem to teach that they are 
the best way to express our joy and to demonstrate 
the Spiritual blessings. 

It would seem that in order to avoid confusion 
and to be orderly they should be regulated by the 
teaching of the Word and by discipline, just as any 
other outward demonstration of the Spirit within 
should be, for the Spirits of the prophets are sub- 
ject to the prophets, and we shall avoid confusion, 
and do all things in order. I. Cor. 14:32, "The 
Spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 
I. Cor. 14.33, "For God is not the author of confu- 
sion." I. Cor. 14:40, "Let all things be done de- 
cently and in order." 

The demonstrations above stated may be one way 
to express our joy in salvation and the receiving of 
Spiritual blessings, and, perhaps, in all cases should 
not be discouraged, but they do not seem to be the 

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HOLINESS IN CHRIST 

best way. The more Scriptural way seems to be 
that of praising God in song in the congregation as 
well as any place, telling the world about Jesus and 
His salvation, praising God with the lip as well as 
from the heart, doing good, being holy in all manner 
of conversation, singing and making melody in our 
hearts to the Lord as well as loudly praising God 
with proper respect for order and decency. 

We read in the Word that David of old leaped 
when they brought the ark into the city of David. 
When Peter healed the man who was lame, having 
been born a cripple, the man leaped, Acts 3 :8. There 
are a few other similar instances of leaping stated 
in the Word. When Christ proceeded triumphantly 
towards the city of God, the disciples praised God 
with a loud voice, Luke 19 :37. These Scripture 
passages are often used to support such demonstra- 
tions as have been stated above. It were well for 
us to remember, however, that while shouting and 
praising God loudly is proper and right, yet in these 
instances there is no falling to the floor, no rolling 
on the floor, nor a passing into a partial uncon- 
scious or irrational state. They are simply rational 
and intelligent manifestations of joy which may be 
at times helpful in the worship and praise of God. 
They are not even stated to be demonstartions as a 
direct result of the receiving of the Holy Ghost. In 
the case of the disciples they uttered perfectly ra- 
tional and intelligent statements. Thus, while these 

[44] 



SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS 

instances of manifesting the joy of the heart show 
that such demonstrations are pleasing to God, yet 
in detail they seem to be quite different from the 
demonstrations above spoken of as an expression of 
the Spiritual blessings received. 



[45] 



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